Baseball Hall of Fame Retires Chief Wahoo From Plaques

[SportsLogos.Net News]

Baseball Hall of Fame Retires Chief Wahoo From Plaques

March 22, 2018 - 15:56 PM

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced yesterday that the Cleveland Indians’ Chief Wahoo logo will no longer be used as the logo featured on any future plaques, including the one used for Hall of Fame-elect Jim Thome, […]

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[goalieboy82]

i am fine with the Block C hat for future Cleveland Indians inductees (if they play today).  now are they going to have Chief Wahoo for players who played back in the day who get in (or go with a blank hat)  

[OnWis97]

I hate wahoo as much as anyone and I think to just say "PC!" is off the mark.  That said, the HOF is a museum and should capture the good and the bad.  If someone wore that hat for the key part of their career (i.e., if the Indians are the team they should represent and that's the hat they wore), then I'd rather see the hat used.  This is a pretty rare departure for me.

 

Jim Thome, I assume, is going in as an Indian.  He did wear the "C" every so briefly in his late-career return to Cleveland, but Wahoo is obviously the main hat in his career.  That said, if Thome himself asks to use the "C" then I think it's OK to honor that.  Bert Blyleven's best/most days with the Twins was in the TC but he has the "M" and I think it's because he wanted the hat from the World Series.  So I can live with Thome in the "C" if that's what he wants.

 

I'm all for eliminating Wahoo but history can't really be changed. Some day, a kid visiting Cooperstown who never saw Wahoo on the field will ask his parents about the cap logo someone's plaque and that will be a teachable moment (of course most will just bellyache about political correctness).

[VDizzle12]

12 minutes ago, goalieboy82 said:

i am fine with the Block C hat for future Cleveland Indians inductees (if they play today).  now are they going to have Chief Wahoo for players who played back in the day who get in (or go with a blank hat)  

 

I'm guessing they'd do the same as Thome and give them the Block C hat. He technically only wore it for one inning. 

[SFGiants58]

Well, Wahoo is only on one plaque, and it’s super-obscured:

 

 

Since Early Wynn wore the solo “Wishbone C” (without Wahoo), might it be time for him to get a new plaque?

[BC985]

Outside of Thome, who has said he did not want Wahoo on his plaque, who could this impact? Manny Ramirez likely won’t make the hall, and if he did he’d likely wear a Red Sox hat. CC Sabathia would probably go as a Yankee. I’m not super knowledgeable in Indians history, but I guess there could be a Veteran’s Committee selection. Everyone else from here on out has ties to the block C. 

 

This appears to be an easy call for the HOF unless I’ve missed someone. 

[SFGiants58]

6 minutes ago, Brandon9485 said:

Outside of Thome, who has said he did not want Wahoo on his plaque, who could this impact?

 

This appears to be an easy call for the HOF unless I’ve missed someone. 

 

If we’re talking Veteran’s Committee, Kenny Lofton and possibly Omar Visquel.

[WavePunter]

1 minute ago, SFGiants58 said:

 

If we’re talking Veteran’s Committee, Kenny Lofton and possibly Omar Visquel.

I considered Lofton, as well as Albert Belle and the Alomar's.. But I'm admittedly ignorant on their status and/or eligibility

[BC985]

Just now, SFGiants58 said:

 

If we’re talking Veteran’s Committee, Kenny Lofton and possibly Omar Visquel.

 

Probably the two likeliest candidates from those 90s teams, but they’re a stretch at best.

[smzimbabwe]

Will they also remove any mention of baseball's segregation history? I think not allowing blacks to play for a time is far worse than the Wahoo hat.

[neo_prankster]

3 minutes ago, smzimbabwe said:

Will they also remove any mention of baseball's segregation history? I think not allowing blacks to play for a time is far worse than the Wahoo hat.

 

Taking Cap Anson and Kenesaw Mountain Landis's plaques off the walls would be a start.

[crashcarson15]

25 minutes ago, Brandon9485 said:

 

Probably the two likeliest candidates from those 90s teams, but they’re a stretch at best.

Lofton has already dropped off the ballot, which is a shame. He’s really been hurt by the high number of clear HoF-calibre players who aren’t getting elected, but are still on most ballots, because of the steroid allegations. It’ll be interesting to see how the Veterans Committee takes up his case down the road.

 

I think Vizquel has a decent chance, probably via the VC.

[goalieboy82]

31 minutes ago, crashcarson15 said:

Lofton has already dropped off the ballot, which is a shame. He’s really been hurt by the high number of clear HoF-calibre players who aren’t getting elected, but are still on most ballots, because of the steroid allegations. It’ll be interesting to see how the Veterans Committee takes up his case down the road.

 

I think Vizquel has a decent chance, probably via the VC.

that would be interesting if any of the steroid players go in (i still think MLB should treat this as an era in baseball, like pre 1920's)

[MCM0313]

2 hours ago, OnWis97 said:

I hate wahoo as much as anyone and I think to just say "PC!" is off the mark.  That said, the HOF is a museum and should capture the good and the bad.  If someone wore that hat for the key part of their career (i.e., if the Indians are the team they should represent and that's the hat they wore), then I'd rather see the hat used.  This is a pretty rare departure for me.

 

Jim Thome, I assume, is going in as an Indian.  He did wear the "C" every so briefly in his late-career return to Cleveland, but Wahoo is obviously the main hat in his career.  That said, if Thome himself asks to use the "C" then I think it's OK to honor that.  Bert Blyleven's best/most days with the Twins was in the TC but he has the "M" and I think it's because he wanted the hat from the World Series.  So I can live with Thome in the "C" if that's what he wants.

 

I'm all for eliminating Wahoo but history can't really be changed. Some day, a kid visiting Cooperstown who never saw Wahoo on the field will ask his parents about the cap logo someone's plaque and that will be a teachable moment (of course most will just bellyache about political correctness).

Apparently Early Wynn is the only player whose cap currently features Wahoo, which is in itself incredible - that logo was used for decades! I guess I didn't quite understand the historical context of the Indians' 1955-94 futility before that. Anyway, the Hall presently doesn't plan to take it off his hat, nor should they. Like you have said, teachable moment. Baseball history is as riddled with flaws and -isms as American history as a whole, and understanding that can help a person understand how baseball can serve as a microcosm of society itself.

 

It just blows my mind, though, that Wynn and Thome are the only Hall of Famers who wore Wahoo hats for the bulk of their careers.

[The_Admiral]

8 minutes ago, MCM0313 said:

I guess I didn't quite understand the historical context of the Indians' 1955-94 futility before that.

 

Major League, the only reason anyone put up a fight about Chief Wahoo, used the Indians for a reason.

[kroywen]

I was thinking it may make more sense to use the "script I" cap for Thome's plaque, but realized he only played one season with that cap (2002). Thought it would've been longer.

 

The block "C" works, though this may have been a case where having a side profile not showing the cap logo (a la Yogi Berra) or a blank cap might've been suitable. Would've also served as a slight nod to his years in Philly.

[Kevin W.]

Honestly, I'm glad to see it go not just because of its racism, but also because it's just not that great of a logo.

[VikWings]

So dumb. It’s one thing to retire it from current baseball. But let’s not erase history either. Thome shouldn’t be going in the hall with a hat he wore like once. Might as well put him in as a Phillie or Twin in that case.

[phutmasterflex]

Yeah this I would have liked 

 

And what would be cool is likely this would be the only Indians player to wear this specific cap on a plaque as no other player from that era (other than Manny -- who is likely Red Sox and Omar Vizquel -- who might not even make it) would be the only other two. 

[Hat Boy]

38 minutes ago, VikWings said:

But let’s not erase history either. Thome shouldn’t be going in the hall with a hat he wore like once.

So we should ignore Thome's wishes and force him to accept Chief Wahoo on his plaque?  Because, without that plaque, Chief Wahoo will be lost in the annals of history forever?